The invention relates generally to the field of mounting fans for cooling electrical systems. More particularly, the invention relates to a novel configuration of a fan inside an electrical enclosure which allows the fan to be accessed from both the environment side of the enclosure and the interior of the enclosure.
Many applications exist for fan cooled electrical systems, particularly in industrial settings. For example, many systems employ drives to provide scalable control for high power applications including pumps and fans, extruders, conveyors, mixers, crushers, and centrifuges, to mention just a few. Environmental conditions often require isolation of the drives and their associated components such as control boards, terminal blocks, sensors, and fuses. When conditions dictate, electrical enclosures and housings are provided to support and protect the drives and components. During operation, fans are used to circulate air and cool the drives and components. These fans require routine maintenance; consequently, there is a need for quick access and easy replacement in order to reduce system downtime.
Existing products utilize fans that mount unidirectionally, typically from either the front or back of the drive. Front mounted fans are accessed from the interior of the enclosure. However, drive components, such as control boards and terminal blocks may need to be removed if they are located in front of the fan. Thus, front access generally requires partial teardown of the drive in order to perform fan maintenance. Alternatively, rear mounted fans are accessible from the exterior of the enclosure, allowing for maintenance without partial tear down of the drive. However, this access is impeded if the enclosure is placed against a wall. Consequently, both front and rear mount fans create maintenance challenges. Additionally, the fixed fan access point, determined by the mounting location, compels customers to plan for fan access during drive installation. For front mounted fans, the customer may need to allocate additional maintenance time to allow for partial disassembly of the drive. For rear mounted fans, the customer may need to include additional space behind the drive to allow for access.
There is a need, therefore, for improved designs for fan mounting systems which allow the fan to be accessed from both the exterior and interior of the enclosure. This dual access will create greater drive installation flexibility by permitting fan access from either the front or back of the drive, as necessary. Additionally drives may be relocated as needed without being constrained by access requirements.